Poetry

This poem always makes me cry.   But it also makes me feel better about the fact that I always skip housework in order to spend more time with my Noodlebug.

 

Song for a Fifth Child

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren’t [his] eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

Citrus Lane Review: May 2013 for Five-Year-Old Boy

We got our first Citrus Lane box last week.  I decided to take advantage of a discount code and got our first box for $13.41.  I wish I had known about this when Noodlebug was younger.  Citrus Lane is a subscription box service that sends an assortment of age-appropriate goodies for children each month.  It covers ages birth through 5.  We just squeezed in!

I'm happy that our first box arrived close to Noodlebug's birthday.  In the first box we received:

1. A sample size of Barbara's Bakery organic Snackimal cereal  (retail 50 cents)

2.  Some Sunny Patch Gardening Gloves  (retail $5)

3. Barefoot Books' GIGANTIC TURNIP book and CD  (retail $17)

4. Green Toys Planting Kit  (retail $6)

5. Clean Well Disinfecting spray and Deep Steep lavender moisturizing balm  (retail $7 and $4)

The retail price of the contents was close to $40 and I really liked everything we got. I appreciate the inclusion of an organic sample.  We LOVE Green Toys and pulled on the gloves and planted the seeds in our pot right away. Our favorite item was definitely the book.  Book and CD combos are big in our house.  All in all, I would say I really enjoyed this box.  I like how the box had a gardening theme.  Looking forward to the next one already.

You can choose not only the age range of the box but also whether you would like it tailored for a girl, a boy or gender neutral.  Cool idea!

If you would like to try Citrus Lane, follow this link to get $10 off your first order!

Bare Necessities (a birthday list)

I'm not fancy.  And I have gotten to the point where I don't like birthdays anymore.  My birthday is in a few days and I'm planning on hunkering down and hiding until it is over. 

I do keep an Amazon Wish List of things that would be fun to have.  When I really think about my very favorite things that keep me going day by day, however, the list is small.  Here are my favorite things that are also the first to go when we run out of money each month. Presented in the form of a birthday wish list:

1. Starbucks/Acre Coffee gift certificates

2. Teavana gift certificates (this tea gets me through my workday!)

3. A Girl and Dog salted chocolate chip cookies

4. LUSH bubble bars

5. Cinema West movie tickets

6. Chipotle gift certificates


That's about it!  All those things would keep me happy as a clam.  What's on YOUR wish list?

5 Years

How is it possible I have a 5-year-old? 

Just writing that sentence makes my heart seize up.

I have loved these first five years.  I try to focus on the new things each year brings.  The fact that he can do things now that he wasn't able to the last few years and how fun that is. But it is hard to let go of the baby and preschool years. 

I can't believe Noodlebug will be starting Kindergarten this Fall. 

Our birthday party theme this year was a "Superhero Academy" theme.  I did now allow any licensed characters, weapons, or violence of any kind.  The kids were the superheroes at this party.   I drew on so much inspiration from the internet for this party and I will share the full details later.

In the meantime, here is my Super 5-Year-Old.  I am so blessed.

Heartbroken: RIP Kathreen Ricketson

(image source)

I never got to a part of any playgroup.  I found my community of mothers online.  Blogging has allowed me to meet amazing people who share their creativity in powerful ways. One of those people was Kathreen Ricketson.  Her ACTION PACK ezines provided me with so much inspiration with which to engage my son. I loved them so much I became an affiliate.

Not long ago, Kathreen and her family decided to take on an exciting experiement. They planned a road trip across Australia for a year.  I was having fun hearing about their progress and looking forward to the book that would follow. Their journey just ended.

Kathreen died yesterday in a tragic accident. Her partner has still not be found.  It is so heartbreaking. I want to gather up her children in my arms and hug them. I am just speechless and feel such loss for this woman that I never even met in person but who provided me with so much inspiration for so many years. Her children have had the kind of childhood I would have wished for my own son and my heart aches for them.

I'll be praying for the safe return of Kathreen's partner, Rob, and for comfort for their children and families.

Read about this loss here and here.

The blogging community has come together to create a trust fund for Kathreen and Rob's beautiful children. If you would like to contribute, please go here.

Crafting a Birthday Party

(I made this on Photoshop)

Sorry for the lack of posting. I am in the middle of crafting a birthday party. Noodlebug turns 5 on the 18th and we are having a Superhero-themed birthday party.  HOWEVER...there will be no licensed characters at this party. No Batman. No Spiderman. No Superman.  Instead, the children will be the superheros.  They'll be attending the Superhero Academy at our house. I am busy sewing gender-neutral capes and painting (cardboard box) buildings. I can't wait to share the details with you once it is all over. It's a lot of work but I'm hoping I can pull it off. 

I have to admit that I am really struggling with birthdays this year. It is really really hard for me to face Noodlebug turning 5. And it is hard for me to face my own birthday at the end of the month. We'll see how it goes!!!